The candidate, Joseph P. Kitzmiller MD, PhD is a Clinical Pharmacology Physician at the Ohio State University Medical Center. Through this award he seeks to become an independent investigator in patient-oriented research, with a focus on pharmacogenomics as applied to personalized medicine. Specifically, he will focus on developing a comprehensive and adaptable multi-gene model for predicting how individual patients respond to statin therapy. Dr. Kitzmiller will be mentored by Dr. Wolfgang Sadee, a renowned expert in pharmacogenomics, and Dr. Rebecca Jackson, and internal medicine clinician and experienced translational researcher. Together with his mentors, both strongly connected with the NIH Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN) and the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Consortium (CSTC), Dr. Kitzmiller will investigatey the influence of various genetic factors on patient's response to statin medications. Importantly, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a growing epidemic, associated with unacceptable mortality, morbidity, and cost. Dr. Kitzmiller's primary goal is to develop pharmacogenomic patient-selection strategies for improving statin efficacy and cost-effectiveness and for reducing the incidence of associated adverse effects. Dr. Kitzmiller will supplement his research activities with didactics in clinical trial design and conduct, epidemiology and outcomes research, biostatistics, and ethics. In addition, he will gain ground-breaking experience in both pharmacogenomics and pharmacoanalytic techniques. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The mission of all NIH-funded research is the improvement of this nation's health, and the career development and research plan in this mentored award application address this mission by providing support for training in both pharmacogenomic research and translational science methodology. The overall goal of pharmacogenomic personalized medicine is to improve the understanding of how genetic factors influence individual patient response to medication. By supporting the training efforts of tomorrow's leaders in translational pharmacogenomics, the NIH promotes the development of research aimed at improving the efficacy and cost-effectiveness (as well as reducing adverse effects) of pharmacotherapies. This initiative has substantial potential for improving the nation's health.